Mark Art department Selb main factory, around. Model no.: K 151. design: 1912. ZÜGEL, Willy (1876 Munich - 1950 Wolkenhof/Murrhardt)

Painted underglaze. H 19 cm.

Right foot of the drake restored and chipped, the tip of the duck's tail and the drake's rump restored.

"As a freelancer, Willy Zügel had already produced designs for the porcelain manufactories Meissen (1906) and Nymphenburg (1911 - 1913), before working for the art departments of the Rosenthal porcelain factory in Selb and Bahnhof-Selb from 1911 to 1926. Following in his father's footsteps, Zügel always worked from live animal models, which he created at the Murrhardt Wolkenhof - the family's summer residence -, in Munich's Hellabrunn Zoo or in zoological gardens abroad. zoological gardens. It is therefore not surprising that his animal figures in particular particularly reveal the artist's familiarity with the animal's soul. His duck pair clearly reveals his excellent anatomical knowledge of animals. The duck is resting with its plump body and small head tucked in, while the drake to its left is standing upright, its flat beak and stretched neck pressed against its bulging chest, seemingly preening its feathers. Zügel has the typical character of the mallard, which is one of the largest of its genus in our waters. species in our waters, in a naturalistic way. The design for this group of figures in bronze was presented at the International Art Exhibition in Munich as early as 1910." (Petra Werner, in; Catalog: Auf der Pirsch - Jagdbare Tiere in Porzellan, Porzellanikon (vol. 117), Hohenberg a.d. Eger 2015, p. 31/cat. no. 16).

Provenance : German private collection.